6-15-26 roundup: Pro football, baseball, auto racing, soccer and rodeo, College baseball and softball, Legion baseball

By Richard Walker

Five area products have been named to National Junior College Athletic Association All-American baseball and softball teams.

In baseball, two Gaston College standouts and a former North Gaston standout have been named to the NJCAA All-American baseball teams.

Gaston College’s baseball team had two of its top players honored with selection to All-American teams; Freshman infielder Caden Davidson was a first team selection and sophomore outfielder Koy Swanson a third team selection by the National Junior College Athletic Association and by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

That duo led Gaston College to a 54-5 overall record, Region 10 regular season championship, Region 10 tournament runner-up finish and No. 2 ranking in the final NJCAA poll.

Davidson, from Fletcher, N.C., was the nation’s top hitter with a .500 batting average and was fourth in the country in RBIs with 110. An All-Region 10 selection, Davidson also had 23 home runs, has committed to play for the ACC’s Wake Forest University and is considered a top prospect for the upcoming July 12-13 major league baseball draft.

And Swanson, from Felton, Pa., was a two-time All-Region 10 selection and hit .381 with 21 home runs and 92 RBIs this past season. Swanson has committed to play for Western Kentucky next season.

Rector, a 2024 North Gaston High graduate and former Gastonia Post 23 Legion player, was named NJCAA Division III second team infielder for Caldwell Tech. He hit .395 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs for the Cobras, who advanced to the NJCAA Division III World Series in Johnson City, Tenn.

In softball, two Gaston College standouts took top honors.

Aidan Ledbetter, a 2025 Crest High graduate and former Shelby Post 82 Legion softball player, was named NJCAA second team All-American pitcher. And Adah Bruining, a 2025 Clover, S.C. graduate, was named winner of the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Rawlings Gold Glove award.

The duo helped Gaston College to a 62-6 overall record, 12th-place NJCAA World Series finish and Region 10 and Mid-Atlantic District titles.

Ledbetter had a 24-2 record with two saves and 1.34 ERA in 32 appearances (23 starts) with 201 strikeouts in 161 2/3 innings.

And a right fielder, Bruining had 59 chances in 60 games with 55 putouts, four assists, one double play and no errors. She also hit .360 with nine home runs and 51 RBIs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

College baseball

The 2026 College World Series pairings:

(Friday, June 12)
Game 1- Troy (38-30) vs. No. 16 West Virginia (45-15) – West Virginia 7-5
Game 2- Mississippi (41-21) vs. No. 5 North Carolina (50-12-1) – North Carolina 6-2

(Saturday, June 13)
Game 3- Oklahoma (38-22) vs. No. 7 Alabama (42-19) – Oklahoma 9-0
Game 4- No. 6 Texas (45-13) vs. No. 3 Georgia (51-12) – Georgia 7-1

(Sunday, June 14)
Game 5- Troy vs. Mississippi – Troy 12-8
Game 6- West Virginia vs. North Carolina – North Carolina 5-2

(Monday, June 15)
Game 7- Alabama vs. Texas – Texas 14-2
Game 8- Oklahoma vs. Georgia – Oklahoma 4-3

(Tuesday, June 16)
Game 9- Troy vs. West Virginia, 2 p.m.
Game 10- Texas vs. Georgia, 8 p.m.

(Wednesday, June 17)
Game 11- North Carolina vs. Game 9 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 12- Oklahoma vs. Game 10 winner, 8 p.m.

(Thursday, June 18)
Game 13 (if necessary)- If Game 6 winner loses Game 11
Game 14 (if necessary)- If Game 8 winner loses Game 12

(Best-of-3 championship series)
Game 1- Saturday, June 20, 8 p.m.
Game 2- Sunday, June 20, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3 (if necessary)- Monday, June 22, 7 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legion baseball

Area schedule/results:
x-non division games

Monday, June 8
Cherryville vs. Gaston Braves (at East Gaston) – Cherryville 8-2
Hickory at Gastonia – Hickory 8-7 in 12
Shelby at Burke County – Shelby 10-4

Tuesday, June 9
No games

Wednesday, June 10
Burke County vs. Gaston Braves (at East Gaston) – GBraves 5-0
Cherryville at Asheville – Asheville 8-7
Rutherford County at Gastonia – Rutherford County 16-11
Shelby at Hickory – Shelby 12-2

Thursday, June 11
Burke County at Gastonia – Gastonia 4-1

Friday, June 12
Gaston Braves at Asheville (ppd., June 25)

Saturday, June 13
No games

Sunday, June 14
Rutherford County vs. Gaston Braves (at East Gaston) – Rutherford County 8-7, GBraves 5-1

Monday, June 15
Gastonia at Shelby – Shelby 11-2: Starter and winner Luke Rayfield (5 innings, 8 strikeouts as pitcher, 2 hits, triple, 1 RBI as batter), Drew Dixon (3 hits, double, 2 RBIs), Luke Heavner (2 hits) and Wyatt McSwain (2 hits, home run, 2 RBIs) led Shelby and Blake Mitchell (3 hits) led Gastonia.

Tuesday, June 16
Asheville at Burke County
Caldwell County at Shelby
Gaston Braves at Hickory
Gastonia at Rutherford County
x-Union County at Cherryville

Wednesday, June 17
Cherryville at Gastonia
x-Greenville, S.C. at Shelby
Hickory vs. Gaston Braves (at East Gaston)

Thursday, June 18
Burke County at Hickory
Cherryville at Caldwell County
Gaston Braves at Gastonia

Friday, June 19
Rutherford County at Caldwell County, 5 p.m. DH
Burke County at Cherryville
(North-South tournament at Shelby)
x-Asheville vs. Florence, S.C., 5 p.m.
x-Florence, S.C. at Shelby, 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 20
Caldwell County vs. Gaston Braves (at East Gaston)
Hickory at Burke County
(North-South tournament at Shelby)
x-Cherryville vs. Florence, S.C., 11 a.m.
x-Asheville vs. Rock Hill, S.C., 1:30 p.m.
x-Asheville vs. Richland, S.C., 4 p.m.
x-Richland, S.C. at Shelby, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 21
Caldwell County at Hickory
(North-South tournament at Shelby)
x-Cherryville vs. Richland, S.C., noon
x-Cherryville vs. Rock Hill, S.C., 2:30 p.m.
x-Rock Hill, S.C. at Shelby, 5 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro soccer

The 2026 Charlotte FC schedule:

(6-6-3 record)
Saturday, Feb. 21 at St. Louis (T 1-1)
Saturday, Feb. 28 at L.A. Galaxy (L 0-3)
Saturday, March 7 Austin (W 3-1)
Saturday, March 14 Miami (T 0-0)
Saturday, March 21 New York Red Bulls (W 6-1)
Saturday, Apr. 4 Philadelphia (W 2-1)
Saturday, Apr. 11 Nashville (L 1-2)
Saturday, Apr. 18 at New York (W 2-1)
Wednesday, Apr. 22 at Orlando (L 1-4)
Saturday, Apr. 25 at Nashville (L 2-4)
Saturday, May 2 at New England (L 0-1)
Saturday, May 9 Cincinnati (T 2-2)
Wednesday, May 13 New York (L 0-1)
Saturday, May 16 Toronto (W 3-1)
Saturday, May 23 New England (W 1-0)
Wednesday, July 22 Atlanta, 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 25 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 1 at Chicago, 8:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 15 Columbus, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Aug. 19 at Toronto, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 22 DC, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 29 at Atlanta, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 5 Houston, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Montreal, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 12 at Cincinnati, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 19 at DC, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 26 Chicago, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 10 Dallas, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Columbus, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 17 at Philadelphia, 2:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 24 at Portland, 10:30 PM
Wednesday, Oct. 28 Montreal, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 31 Orlando, 1:00 PM
Saturday, Nov. 7 at Miami, 4:00 PM

(U.S. Open Cup)
Wednesday, Apr. 15 Charlotte Independence (W 6-0)
…at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex
Tuesday, Apr. 28 Atlanta United FC (L 0-2)
…at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex

 

 

 

 

 

Pro football

Here is the Panthers’ full 2026 schedule:

(preseason)
Aug. 6 – Arizona (at Canton, Ohio), 8 p.m.
Aug. 15 – at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Aug. 21 – at Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 28 – Houston, 7 p.m.
(regular season)
Sept. 13 – Chicago, 1 p.m.
Sept. 20 – at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Sept. 27 – at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Oct. 4 – Detroit, 8:20 p.m.
Oct. 8-12 – BYE week
Oct. 18 – at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Oct. 25 – Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Oct. 29 – at Green Bay, 8:15 p.m.
Nov. 8 – Denver, 1 p.m.
Nov. 15 – at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Nov. 22 – Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Nov. 30 – at Tampa Bay, 8:15 p.m.
Dec. 6 – at Minnesota, 4:25 p.m.
Dec. 13 – New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Dec. 20 – Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Dec. 24-28 TBA – at Pittsburgh, TBA
Jan. 3 – Seattle, 1 p.m.
Jan. 9-10 TBA – Atlanta, TBA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro baseball

The Knights begin a six-game series at Buffalo on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.

Here is the full Charlotte Knights’ 2026 schedule:

(38-31 record, 38-31 1st half, 0-0 2nd half)
-1st half
March 27-29 Durham 3-0 (W 19-2, W 2-1 in 11, W 4-3)
March 31-April 5 at Nashville 1-4 (L 3-7, W 9-3, L 0-4, L 6-7, ppd, L 5-7)
April 7-12 Memphis 3-3 (L 4-9, W 7-3, L 1-4, W 9-8 in 10, L 4-6, W 13-4)
April 14-19 at Jacksonville 2-4 (L 0-3, L 2-3, L 3-5, L 1-4, W 2-0, W 9-4)
April 21-26 Nashville 4-3 (L 1-5, W 9-4, W 3-2 in 10, W 11-9, L 5-12, W 16-6, L 1-5)
April 28-May 3 Gwinnett 3-3 (L 7-10, W 10-9, L 5-9, L 3-4, W 21-1, W 10-9)
May 5-10 at Jacksonville 3-3 (W 5-3, L 6-8, W 16-1, W 8-5, L 5-6, L 1-6)
May 12-17 Norfolk 3-3 (L 6-9, L 8-9, W 4-1, W 4-1, L 10-11, W 15-3)
May 19-24 at Gwinnett 4-2 (W 5-4, W 4-3, L 3-7, W 4-3 in 10, L 1-5, W 3-2)
May 26-31 Jacksonville 3-3 (W 4-0, susp, L 3-6, W 12-5, W 12-4, L 6-15, L 5-6)
June 2-7 at Durham 6-0 (W 6-1, W 18-7, W 11-6, W 4-3, W 7-5, W 12-5)
June 9-14 Oklahoma City 3-3 (L 3-6, L 1-10, W 9-8, W 12-7, L 7-11, W 4-3)
June 16-21 at Buffalo
June 23-25 Rochester
-2nd half
June 26-28 Rochester
June 30-July 5 at Memphis
July 7-12 Nashville
July 17-19 at Durham
July 21-26 Norfolk
July 28-August 2 at Nashville
August 4-9 Durham
August 11-16 at Rochester
August 18-23 at Scranton-WB
August 25-30 Memphis
September 1-6 at Gwinnett
September 8-13 Buffalo
September 15-20 at Norfolk

 

Here is the full Gastonia Ghost Peppers’ 2026 schedule:

(29-19 record, 29-19 1st half, 0-0 2nd half)
-1st half
April 21-23 at High Point 1-2 (W 3-1, L 5-6, L 0-5)
April 24-26 High Point 3-0 (W 4-3, W 18-8, W 9-2)
April 28-May 3 at York 4-2 (W 14-2, ppd, W 2-1, W 5-4, L 4-5, W 10-2, L 3-9)
May 5-10 Southern Maryland 1-5 (L 2-3, L 11-18, L 2-12, L 4-5, W 7-3, L 1-14)
May 12-17 at Long Island 3-3 (L 3-6, L 3-11, W 10-0, L 4-6, W 8-6, W 6-5)
May 19-20 Charleston, W.Va. 3-0 (W 9-4, W 6-2, W 9-6)
May 22-24 at Charleston, W.Va. 3-0 (W 17-4, W 8-4, W 12-4)
May 26-28 at Lexington 3-0 (W 10-6, W 3-2, W 3-1)
May 29-31 Charleston, W.Va. 3-0 (W 6-3, W 10-7, W 9-2)
June 2-7 Lancaster 2-4 (W 11-2, L 1-3, W 14-3, L 3-4, L 8-9, L 5-17)
June 9-14 at Lexington 3-3 (L 13-15, L 6-8, W 7-5, L 9-10, W 7-1, W 12-8)
June 16-21 Staten Island
June 23-28 at Lexington
June 30-July 2 Lexington
-2nd half
July 3-5 Charleston, W.Va.
July 7-12 at Hagerstown
July 14-19 Lexington
July 21-26 at Charleston, W.Va.
July 28, 30-31-Aug. 2 Hagerstown
Aug. 4-6 Southern Maryland
Aug. 7-9 at Lexington
Aug. 11-16 at High Point
Aug. 18-23 Charleston, W.Va.
Aug. 25-30 at Southern Maryland
Sept. 1-6 High Point
Sept. 8-10 Lexington
Sept. 11-13 at High Point

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auto racing

Here is the full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule with race winners in parentheses:

Feb. 4 — Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium (Ryan Preece)
Feb. 15 — Daytona 500 (Tyler Reddick)
Feb. 22 — Atlanta (Reddick-2)
March 1 — Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas (Reddick-3)
March 8 — Phoenix (Ryan Blaney)
March 15 — Las Vegas (Denny Hamlin)
March 22 — Darlington, South Carolina (Reddick-4)
March 29 — Martinsville, Virginia (Chase Elliott)
April 5 — off weekend
April 12 — Bristol, Tennessee (Ty Gibbs)
April 19 — Kansas (Reddick-5)
April 26 — Talladega, Alabama (Carson Hocevar)
May 3 — Texas (Elliott-2)
May 10 — Watkins Glen, New York (Shane van Gisbergen)
May 17 — All-Star Race (Dover) (Hamlin-2)
May 24 — Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte) (Daniel Suarez)
May 31 — Nashville, Tennessee (Hamlin-3)
June 7 — Michigan (Hamlin-4)
June 14 — Pocono in Long Pond, Pennsylvania (Hamlin-5)
June 21 — San Diego
June 28 — Sonoma, California
July 5 — Chicagoland
July 12 — Atlanta
July 19 — North Wilkesboro
July 26 — Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis)
Aug. 2 — off weekend
Aug. 9 — Iowa
Aug. 15 — Richmond, Virginia
Aug. 23 — New Hampshire
Aug. 29 — Daytona, Florida
Sept. 6 — Darlington
Sept. 13 — Gateway in Madison, Illinois
Sept. 19 — Bristol
Sept. 27 — Kansas
Oct. 4 — Las Vegas
Oct. 11 — Charlotte Roval
Oct. 18 — Phoenix
Oct. 25 — Talladega
Nov. 1 — Martinsville
Nov. 8 — Homestead, Florida

 

 

 

 

Rodeo

Professional Bull Riding Unleash the Beast tour schedule for Greensboro-based Carolina Cowboys:

Feb. 1 – Golden 1 Center Sacramento- Austin Gamblers (L 173.90-256.90)
Feb. 21 – Progressive PBR Jacksonville- Florida Freedom (L 158.70-169.25)
March 22 – Ram Trucks PBR Indianapolis- Nashville Stampede (W 88.70- 0.00)
(DNQ for playoffs)

Team Challenge playoff results
March 29 at Albuquerque: Semifinal- (No. 1 Missouri Thunder def. No. 4 Florida Freedom 83.65-0.00)
April 17 at Billings: Semifinal- (No. 2 Austin Gamblers def. No. 3 Kansas City Outlaws 87.10-84.50)
April 26 at Tacoma: Championship- (No. 1 Missouri Thunder def. No. 2 Austin Gamblers 254.75-171.35)

Upcoming events:
Sept. 18-20 – Greensboro First Horizon Coliseum Complex

 

 

 

 

Golf

The Rutherford County Sports Hall Of Fame (RCSHOF), presented by Hardin’s Drug, in conjunction with Golf Sponsors Forest City Honda and Chick-fil-A of Forest City, is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2026 T. Max Champion Memorial Golf Tournament.

The tournament will be held on Friday, July 31 at the Apple Vally Golf Course in Lake Luke, with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Registration fee is $100.00 per player or $400.00 for a team of four and covers the green fee, cart usage and lunch.

First prize for Gross and Net Winners is $600.00 per team. Other prizes will be awarded based on the number of entries. Proceeds from the event go to support the RCSHOF Scholarship Fund and registration deadline is July 21.

For information or to register, please visit the RCSHOF website: https://www.rcshof.org/ or call Randy Page at 828-429-7773.